


Tale of the Three Dogs

by extremelyperturbed



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Fairytale Fusion, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multiple Deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 11:32:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6852892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extremelyperturbed/pseuds/extremelyperturbed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is based on the fairy tale "The Tinder Box."  Hannibal, a poor soldier, comes into possession of a magical tinder box which summons three magical dogs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tale of the Three Dogs

Once, there was a count named Hannibal Lecter whose family had lost its fortune when he was young. As he knew how to fight, he became a soldier. It was not a very good living as he was left with just a handful of coins and his sword by his side after the length of an entire war. 

As he was walking on the road to see if he could find news of another battlefield, a red-haired witch raised her hand to wave him closer. "Good evening, sir!" she said. "You look like a fine strong man, afraid of nothing. I have work for you that pays well!"

"What is your name?"

"I am called Freddie. What is yours?"

"Count Lecter. What is that you want?"

"Do you see that tree there," she said. "Once you get to the top, you'll find it's hollow. I've got a rope you can tie around your waist so I can pull you up again."

"What's down there?" said Hannibal. 

"When you reach the bottom, you'll find yourself in a vast hall full of lit candles. There are three open doors. In the first room, there will be a dog with eyes as large as saucers."

"And I'm to kill it."

Freddie scowled. "No! No! You absolutely mustn't do that. You are to take my apron," she said, holding a large blue square piece of cloth. "Shouldn't you be writing this down?"

"I have a very good memory," he said, reassuring her.

"All you have to do is put it on the dog and he'll be quite still. There will be a chest next to the dog full of copper coins that you can load your pockets with. In the next, there is another dog with eyes as big as plates. But my apron will take care of him just as well. Next to him is a chest full of silver coins if that's what you prefer. In the last room, there is a dog with eyes as large as mill stones. He'll be sweet and quiet once he's under the blue cloth and he's next to a chest of gold."

"It sounds enticing," said Hannibal. "But what do you get out of this?" 

"Oh, there's just an old tinder-box. It has great sentimental value, a family heirloom. You mustn't forget it," she said.

As wide as she was smiling, Hannibal briefly thought to himself that she wouldn't know sentiment if it suckled, raised her and buried her. Nevertheless, he was driven by curiosity to see if what she told him about the rest was true.

After putting her apron in his pocket, he tied the rope firmly around his waist. After making sure that it was securely fasted to a nearby tree, he went down the hollow of the tree. 

Once he reached the bottom, he saw that she had been telling the truth about the great hall. He went into the nearest room and saw the dog with the eyes as large as saucers. He put the apron on top of it and opened the chest and saw it was filled to the brim with copper coins. He put down the lid and took the apron. 

In the second room, there was the dog with eyes the size of plates. He put the apron on top of the dog and it went from glaring to having a docile expression. He opened the chest and saw silver coins. He put down the lid. 

In the third room, he found a giant dog that had two eyes, each as large as mill stones, spinning round in his head like wheels. He did the same to it as he had done to the other dogs and found a chest full of gold coins. He could fully restore his fortunes if he could take the entire chest home. However, alas, he knew that it was impossible. He was fully intent on filling his pockets, his hat, and boots with as many coins as he could. 

He noticed that nearby there was the tinder box that she had been pining for. He picked it up and closely examined it. It merely looked like any other tinder box. 

Hannibal wrapped the rope around his waist, picked up the tinder box and tugged on the rope. "Pull me up!"

There was a bit of a tug then he heard Freddie yell, "You're too damn heavy. Why don't you wrap the tinderbox in my apron, let me take that up and maybe you'll be too light enough to pull up."

Hannibal easily saw through her trickery and said, "I'll empty my cap of coins and that should help. I insist on being pulled up along with tinder box."

"You do have it, right?"

"Yes," said Hannibal as he regretfully emptied his cap of coins. 

After much grumbling, Freddie helped Hannibal climb up hollowed-out tree. Once he got his feet back on the ground, he said, "What's so special about this box?"

"It's none of your business."

"I'm afraid it is, considering you tried to abandon me down there," said Hannibal. "Lie one more time and I will cut off your head."

"It's just a tinder box."

Hannibal took his sword and sliced off her head. He made a note to himself of the location of the hollow tree before he emptied the gold into the apron, put the tinder box in his pocket. He decided to go back to his family estate. 

Along the way, he bought a horse and a fine set of clothes and new boots. Now that he looked the count that he was, people buzzed around him and tried to engage him in conversation. One item greatly teased his curiosity. 

"You say there's a handsome prince that nobody's ever seen," said Hannibal, who found the paradox humorous. 

Mrs. Komeda said, pleased to find something that sparked his interest, "He is held prisoner in a copper tower by the Queen Purnell and King Chilton, surrounded by many walls and guards! No one except the King may go in or out, for it is prophesied that the prince will marry a killer." 

It must be fate, thought Hannibal to himself. And his desire to see the prince grew tenfold. 

He saw his childhood castle, which was in disrepair. He sighed because even all the gold he had gotten wasn't enough to fix it up. However, his old bedroom was still in good enough condition to sleep in for the night. 

That night, he took out the tinder box and struck a spark. However, once he struck a light, the door burst open and the dog with eyes the size of saucers appeared and talked to him. "What do you command, my master!"

This worried Hannibal a little. Wait, he thought, I have not taken my drugs yet.

He struck the tinder box again, and the dog that had guarded the silver chest appeared. When he struck it again, the dog that had guarded the gold chest appeared. Both dogs offered to do as he commanded. 

"Bring me the chest of gold coins," said Hannibal, deciding to save the rest for later.

The largest dog disappeared then reappeared in a short while with the chest. Hannibal smiled slightly in ecstasy. 

He quickly rebuilt his castle and bought back his former lands. He went to the theater and held many dinner parties. He listened as many of his former acquaintances made many excuses for why they   
disappeared when his fortune had gone sour and why they appeared when things had improved. He tolerated further conversation with them only if they had further information about the mysterious Prince Will.

Frustrated that attempting to bribe guards and the usual methods didn't work, he struck the tinder box and summoned one of the dogs. "I would like to see the prince in the copper tower." The dog disappeared and before Hannibal could finish his glass of wine, he had come back with the prince sleeping on his back. Hannibal took one look at the sleeping young man and fell under the spell of his beauty. He could not restrain himself from touching his hair and his cheek. The prince threatened to stir so the dog ran quickly back to the tower.

However, as quick as the dog was, there was a guard who noticed that the prince had disappeared then reappeared. He told King Chilton and Queen Purnell. Chilton scowled then came up with a plan. He would have the guard pretend to sleep in the same room as Will and to follow the dog to wherever it was taking him.

Hannibal desperately wanted to see Will again so he had the dog retrieve Will from the tower. However, the guard followed them and saw that the dog was running towards the count's castle. He then started the long journey back to the King and Queen.

Meanwhile, Will awakened this time and said, "Who are you? You should know that kidnapping me will get you hanged."

"I'm Count Lecter," he said. "It is kind of you to worry about my life." Actually, he found it a little rude but he found that he didn't really mind. "You don't want to worry the King and Queen?"

Will snorted. "Hardly. They're not my parents. They took over soon after my father died and I'm more their prisoner than anything."

"It must be lonely up in the tower by yourself."

"It is," said Will. "What makes it worse is that they don't even allow me my pets like this one." He petted the dog that had taken him from the tower with much affection.

"I have three dogs," said Hannibal. "And if you were to marry me, I would let you play with them all the time and take you out of the tower."

"What's that smell?" said Will.

"I was making something for a late night snack, a lovely sanguinaccio," said Hannibal, referring to a chocolate pudding thickened with pig's blood.

"It smells wonderful. Food in the tower is the worst."

At last, Hannibal thought, I'm making headway.

*** 

Just after Hannibal sent Will away to the tower, the King and Queen's soldiers went in and arrested Hannibal. Alas, Hannibal had put his tinder box away in a drawer so he couldn't strike the box to summons the dogs. 

While Hannibal was in his cell, King Chilton sneered, "Tomorrow you are to be hanged." 

Hannibal merely smiled and said, "Tomorrow, I will fulfill my destiny." This rather spooked the King so he fled instantly.

Now, Hannibal's cell happened to have a little low window unto the main street. He could see that people were lining up along the street to see him hanged. He saw one of his servants walk by. "Chiyoh! Chiyoh!"

She knelt and saw her former master. "Hannibal?"

"Do me a favor and get my tinder box from the castle. It is of the greatest importance." 

She quickly ran back to the castle and got him the box as he requested. 

Hannibal smiled at her. "Be sure to watch their attempt at my execution. You might find it amusing."

Outside the town, King Chilton and Queen Purnell had ordered a great scaffold be erected. Hundreds of thousands of people sat around it with the King and Queen closest with their council and favorites sitting nearest them.

"I know that you are all so terribly eager to see my neck stretched a few extra inches," said Hannibal. "All I request is that I be allowed to smoke one little pipe before I leave this firmament."

It seemed a small request so Chilton waved his hand for him to do so. Hannibal struck his tinder box three times so all three dogs appeared. "Save me from being hanged!" he commanded.

The dogs attacked the entire front row by throwing them up in the air so high that they broke into pieces when they hit the ground again. The King and Queen tried to flee but were also hurled towards the heavens and ended up in no better shape than their friends and courtiers. 

Hannibal ordered the smallest dog to retrieve Will from the castle. With his arm around the rather surprised prince, he said to the crowd, "Do you accept the both of us as your new Kings?"

"Yes!" said the terrified crowd.

And they and their dogs lived happily ever after. 

The End

**Author's Note:**

> I picked this story, not just because it has three dogs but also because the protagonist isn't particularly a good person and there are multiple murders that are glossed over. 
> 
> The dogs' eyes are even larger in the fairy tale with the second dog with eyes as big as mill wheels and the third with eyes as big as the Round Tower of Copenhagen. So we're getting into Godzilla size territory.


End file.
